Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called the negotiations with the Chinese president a turning point and discussed sensitive topics, including interference in elections.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Saturday called the negotiations with Chinese President Xi Jinping a turning point in mutual relations. He revealed that he also opened sensitive issues with Beijing, including alleged Chinese interference in Canadian elections, TASR reports, according to an AFP report.
Friday’s meeting was the first official meeting between the leaders of Canada and China since 2017. Ottawa’s relations with Beijing are among the most strained among Western countries, but both economies are currently resisting pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff measures.
Barney talks about problem solving
“We have opened the way to solving the current problems,” Carney told reporters in the South Korean city of Gyeongju. He called the conversation with Xi Jinping “constructive” and confirmed that he had accepted an invitation to make an official visit to China early next year.
Carney added that he tasked ministers and other officials to jointly seek solutions to current challenges and identify areas of cooperation and growth. The Chinese president said he was determined to work together to get relations between the two countries back on the “right track.”
In his speech, the Canadian prime minister also addressed the tension in relations with the United States, which intensified after Trump announced a week ago that he would increase tariffs on Canadian goods by another ten percent and end all trade negotiations. The reason was that Ottawa had not previously withdrawn an ad targeting the US tariffs. Carney said Saturday that he apologized to President Trump for the ad. The spot featured former US President Ronald Reagan’s voice commenting on the disadvantages of trade tariffs in excerpts from a 1987 radio speech.
